Block machine



June 23, 1925. 1,543,068

r C. M. EBERLING BLOCK MACHiNE Filed April 5, 1923 GSheecs-Sheet 1 IX i EN'TGR. Charles M. Ebe ling Q M M/ A TTORNEY5.

June 23, 1925.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYJ,

June 23, 1925. 1,543,068

C.M.EBERUNG I BLQCK MACHINE Filed April 5. 1923 s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

,- i m-m Mziberhng ATTORNEYS,

June 23, 1925.

C. M. EBERLING BLOCK MACHINE Filed April 5. 1925 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Chufles M. iberllng "MM/F A TTORNEYJ.

June 23, 1925.

C. M. EBERLING BLOCK MACHINE Filed April 5 1923 6 Sheets-Sheet BY MWQZ A TTORNEYS Jline 23, 1925. 1,543,068

c. M. EBERLING BLOCK MACHINE Filed April 5. 1925 e sheets-sheet s I N VEN TOR.

N Ghufles M. Ebefling BYMQQ/M A TTORNEYS.

Patented June 23, 1925. p

PATENT OFFICE..

CHARLES M. EIBERLING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

BLOCK MACHINE.

Application filed April 5, 1923. Serial No. 630,029.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. Eman- LING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Block Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe accompanymg drawings.

My invention relates to block machines and the principal object of myinvention is to provide a new and improved machine of this type. In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my invention may assume. In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this illustrative machine,

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 3,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3*-3 of Figure 1, I

F'gure 4 is an end view taken from the left in Figure 1,

Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9 are fragmentary cycle of operations,

Figues 6, 7, 8, and 9 are fragmentary views similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts in the positions marked 6, 7, 8, and 9 on the diagram of Figure 5, while b Figure 10 is a view of the completed The machine herein disclosed is designed particularly for the manufacture of hollow concrete building blocks and for the mann facture of these blocks in an improved manner and by less intricate and expensive apparatus. In accomplishing these and other objects it has been found convenient to depart from the usual practice of molding the block with the cavities horizontal and accordingly the machine herein illustrated molds the block with the cavity vertical but retains the advantage of horizontal delivery by swinging the block into horizontal position for its removal from the machine. In

accomplishing the objects of the invention the machine herein illustrated incorporates other,-- advantages which will appear from the description thereof.

The machine herein disclosed may be divided into one section relating to the base and lower end of the mold, a second section relating to the top and sides of the mold and the core and knives, a third section relating to the upper or compressing end of the mold, and a fourth section relating to the feed of material and to the molding, all mounted upon a single frame 21 and operated from a single shaft 22 which is shown as driven by a gear 23 carrying certain ofthe operating parts and in turn driven by a pinion 24 operated from a shaft 25 by means of a worm gear 26.

The mechanism for forming the lower end and base of the mold comprises a pair of arms 27 rigidly secured to a shaft 28 journaled in the main frame 21 and in turn rigidly carrying a cross bar 29 which supports a plurality of members 30 which together form the end of the mold and also supports a third arm 31 intermediate the two arms 27 and co-operating with the two arms 27 to removably support one edge of a pallet 32 which forms the side of the mold and the other edge of which is removably supported by the cross bar 29. After a completed block has been removed and a new pallet introduced this entire mechanism is rotated from the position shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 to that shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 in which position it is effective to cooperate with the other portions of the mold for the formation of another block. This rotation is herein performed by a sector 33 co-operating with a sector 34 on the shaft 28 and carried by a lever 35 pivoted on a cross shaft 36 and provided at its far end with a roller 37 riding in the groove of a cam 38carried by the main shaft 22.

After this base and end mechanism has been swung into molding position it is desirable that it be locked in this position during the molding of the block in order to relieve its operating mechanism from strain. In the machine herein disclosed this locking mechanism comprises a latch 39 adapted when lowered to engage a pair of hooks 40 carried by the arms 27. This latch 39 is normally held in raised position by a pair of pins 41 sliding in ways 42 on the main frame 21 which alsoserve to guide the latch 39 and maintained in elevated position by a pair of arms 43 carried by a shaft 44 which also carries an arm 45 having at its. extremity a pin 46 riding within a link 47 suspended from an arm 48 pivoted on the cross shaft 36 and normally held in raised position by the action of a counterweight 49 which however is positioned to be engaged and raised by a roller 50 carried by an arm 51 on the main shaft 22.

In order to insure complete movement of the base and end mechanism into moldforming position and retention in this position by the latch 39 it is necessary that the mechanism be fully seated at the time the latch is lowered to locking position. This may be accomplished by exactly proportioning the parts and renewing the parts upon slight wear but I prefer to accomplish it by inserting at the proper oint in the wall of the cam 38 an adjusta le set screw 52 arranged to engage the roller 37 to force the base and end mechanism home just as the latch 39 descends.

The section of the machine relating to the top and sides of the mold and to the partitions comprises a plate 53 slidably mounted in guides 54 carried by the main frame 21 and forming the back of the mold. Fixed to move therewith are the two side plates 55, partitions 56 for separating the various blocks being constructed simultaneously and the cores 57 for forming the cavities within the blocks. The back 53 and sides 55 are so formed and positioned as to form tight joints with the end pieces 30 when these end pieces are in molding position while these end pieces 30 are in turn properly spaced as shown at 58' to receive partitions 56 therebetween and properly apertured as shown at 59 to permit the cores 57 to pass therethrough. The back plate. 53, and the sides, partitions, and cores carried thereby, are all reciprocated by means of a lever 60 connected to the back plate 53 by a link 61, pivoted on the cross shaft 36, and carrying at its remote end a roller 62 cooperating with the groove of a cam 63 carried by the gear 23.

The compressing end of the mold comprises a plurality of presser members 64 each carried by four rods 65 reciprocable through the two bars 66 and 67 of the crosshead 68 and each biased downwardly by means of a compression spring 65 encircling a rod 65 and compressed between the cross bar 67 and a shoulder'69 carried by the rod 65. This crosshead 68 as a whole is mounted in guides 70 carried by the main frame 21 and reciproc-ated by means of a pair of arms 71 connected to the crosshead by adjustable links 72 and operated by rotation of the cross shaft 36 which is in turn rotated by the lever 73 operated through a roller 74 carried at its free end and. riding in the groove of a, cam 75 carried by the gear 23. The presser ends 64 are apertured for the reception of the cores 57 and spaced apart for the passage of the partitions 56.

The feeding mechanism comprises a hop means of a pusher 78 which forces the concrete over the end of the board 77 so that it slides down the incline 79 into the mold falling in a divided mass. This pusher 78 is formed as the forward end of a carriage 80 provided with rollers 81 riding upon rails 82 of the main frame 21, and operated from the lever 48 which operates the latch mechanism of the base and end portions of the mold through an arm 83 extending upwardly from the lever 48 and acting on the carriage 80 through an adjustable link 84.

In the osition shown in Figures 1 through 4 t e apparatus is in the position represented by the line 2 in Figure 5 in which the completed block has been removed and a fresh pallet substituted.

Rotation of the shaft 22 in the direction of the arrow in Figures 1 and 2 thereupon causes thecam 38 to act through the lever 35 and sectors 33 and 34 to swing the base and lower end of the mold into molding position as shown in Figure 6 and indicated diagrammatically by the position 6-6 in Fi ure 5.

hortly thereafter, as the roller on the arm 37 is engaging the set screw 52 and the base and end portions of the mold are being pressed home, the roller 50 lifts the counterweight 49 sufficiently to permit the arm 43 to drop to the extent necessary to allow the latch 39 to engage the hooks 40 and latch the base and end plate in full molding position. Substantially simultaneously the cam 63 has begun acting through the roller 62 to raise the back late 53 and the side plates 55 and partitions 56 and cores 57 all into molding position. Before this action is completed furthermovement of the lever 48 acting through the arm 83 and link 84 has begun to advance the carriage 80 and pusher 78 and consequently has begun to feed material into the mold. Figure 7 represents the position of the parts when the latch has seated and the end plate 53 and its arts have been raised to full molding position and the feeding of the concrete into the-mold has been partially completed and this position is shown diagrammatically by the line 77 in Figure 5.

After the feeding of the material is completed the cam 75 acting through the pin 74, lever 73, shaft 36, levers 71, and links 72, begins to lower the crosshead 68 and with it the presser members 64 and in this manner begins to compress the material within the mold. Before this compressing movement is completed. however, the cam 63 begins slowly to lower the back 53, sides 55, partitions 56, and cores 57 drawing them through and past the material within themold to help transmit to this material the pressure imposed by the presser members 64 to thoroughly compact the material throughout its entire bulk and at the same time neatly trowel the surface of the block. The end pieces 30 meanwhile remain rigid. The mechanism at the end of this concurrent action appears in the osition shown in Figure 8 and indicated diagrammat cally at 8-8 in Figure 5.

At the close of this concurrent action the downward movement of the end members 64 ceases and the operating parts for these members begin to raise them again into their inactive position as shown in Fi ures 1 through 4 while the withdrawal 0 the back plate 53 and associated parts continues to completion after which the latch is raised to release the base and end members, the feeding mechanism is withdrawn ready for a subsequent stroke, and the base and end portions are swung into horizontal unloading position all as shown in Figure 9 and indicated at 99 in Figure 5 after which the pallet with its complete blocks is removed and a fresh pallet substituted to place the machine in condition for the next cycle of operations and in the position shown in Figures 1 through 4 and represented at 2-2 in Figure 5.

It will be noted that the back plate, partitions, and cores are considerably longer than the mold space, the pressure end being apertured and shaped for their reception. The showering of the material into the mold causes it to fill the entire space very uniformly but loosely and the mold parts must extend to a sufiicient height to surmount the same, this being accomplished in respect of the pallet by the latch plate 39 which constitutes in effect an extension thereof. The presser preferably accomplishes a considerable degree of compression before the other mold parts start withdrawing though this is to some extent a matter of choice, so long as the withdrawing movement is under way at the culmination of the pressing movement. It will also be noted that an important feature of my invention resides in the withdrawing if the cores in the same direction as the compacting presser of the movable end and during the imposition of this pressure which breaks up all bridging of the material and creates a uniformly compacted condition throughout the mold.

In this specification I have described in detail a machine embodying my invention and designed for one particular use. This description is of course illustrative only and my invention is not limited to the embodiment herein disclosed.

I claim:

1. A block machine comprising a mold "comprisin a compacting end, a core, and

means in ependent of said end for withdrawing said core as said end advances.

2. A concrete block machine comprising a mold having an a ertured compactin end, a core of greater iength than the bloc to be formed and adapted to project through the aperture, means for advancing said compacting end, and means for withdrawing said core as said end advances.

3. In a block machine, a base pivoted to assume a molding position or a delivering position, and a latch adapted to hold said base in molding position and to act as an extension thereof.

4. In a block machine, a mold'in which the back and side walls and partitions and cores are all unitary.

5. In a blockmachine, a mold in which the back walls and core are unitary.

6. A concrete block machine comprising a mold: having a movable core and an independently movable pressing end, said core being substantially vertical and the pressing end being apertu'red for the reception of said core, said core being vertically reciprocable, means operative while said core is in elevated position for showering material into said mold, means for thereafter pressing said pressing end downwardly upon said material, and means operative during the latter part of such compressing movement for withdrawing said core vertically downward.

7 In a concrete block machine, the combination of a pallet support having apertured blocks, a pallet carried by said support at right angles to the face of said blocks, reciprocable cores adapted to project through said blocks when the same are in one position, a mold part adapted to cooperate with said pallet to define a mold space, an apertured pressing block adapted to constitute that side of the mold space which is opposite the first block, means for advancing said pressing block into the mold space, and means for withdrawing said cores simultaneously with a portion of such advance.

8. In a concrete block machine, the combi nation of a pallet support having apertured blocks, a pallet carried by said support at right an 'les to the face of said blocks, reciprocable cores adapted to project through said blocks when the same are in one posi tion, a mold part adapted to co-operate with said pallet to define a mold space, an apertured pressing block adapted to constitute that side of the mold space which is opposite the first block, means for advancing said pressing block into the mold space, means for withdrawing said cores simultaneously with a portion of such advance, and means acting, after the withdrawal of said cores through said first block, to swing said pallet into a second position to carry the-completed block into convenient position for removal.

9. In a concrete block machine, the combination of a frame, relativel movable flat plates carriedi thereby and a apted to constitute a rectangular mold space, an aper-,

tnred end member movable with one of said plates, a second apertured member opposite such first member and adapted to constitute a pressing end, a reciprocable core adapted to traverse the first end and the mold space, and means operative after the complete advance of said cores for advancing said pressing end to surround said cores and for gradually withdrawing said cores during the latter part of the advance of said pressing end and for thereafter retracting said pressing end during the continued retraction of said core.

10. In a block machine, a core, a compactin member, and means for withdrawing said core in advance of the completion of the compacting action of said compacting member.

. 11. in a block machine,'a core, a compactsaid core after the compacting action of said compacting member is substantially completed but before such action' is entirely completed.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

CHARLES M; EBERLING. 

